Combined cut-out switch and circuit breaker

ABSTRACT

A cut-out switch and circuit-breaker device having removable fuses with plungers, respectively connected up in series, each with a pole of the cut-out switch and co-operating with an auxiliary mechanism combined with an indicator element. These devices characterised in that the said auxiliary mechanism comprises two main parts, the one forming a latch, whose position is dependent on the state of the circuit-breaker, ensuring the locking of the other acting as a repeater of the position of the cut-out switch manipulation element. An extra safety means is provided by arranging the indicator element so that any action on it does not have any effect on the latch.

United States Patent 1191 Granson et al.

[451 Oct. 15, 1974 1 1 COMBINED CUT-OUT SWITCH AND CIRCUIT BREAKER [75] Inventors: Jean Granson, Saint Quentin; Jean Hennemann, Homblieres, both of France [73] Assignee: UNELEC, Paris, France [22] Filed: Oct. 10, 1973 211 Appl. No.: 405,212

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 10, 1972 France 72.35880 {52] US. Cl 337/6, 337/143, 337/174, 337/210, 337/225, 337/241 [51] Int. Cl. H0111 85/00 [58] Field of Search 337/6, 7, 8, 9, 143, 144,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,888,535 5/1959 Edmunds 337/150 X 3,324,263 6/1967 Onderko 337/6 3,510,817 5/1970 Flick et a1 1 337/6 3,522,401 8/1970 Stene 337/143 X 3,588,772 6/1971 Ellsworth 337/210 X 3,718,878 2/1973' Wilson 337/7 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 653,430 12/1962 Canada 337/6 702,592 1/1965 Canada 337/6 Primary ExaminerA. T. Grimley Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion, Zinn & Macpeak 5 7 ABSTRACT A cut-out switch and circuit-breaker device having removable fuses with plungers, respectively connected up in series, each with a pole of the cut-out switch and co-operating with an auxiliary mechanism combined with an indicator element.

These devices characterised in that the said auxiliary mechanism comprises two main parts, the one forming a latch, whose position is dependent on the state of the circuit-breaker, ensuring the locking of the other acting as a repeater of the position of the cut-out switch manipulation element.

An extra safety means is provided by arranging the indicator element so that any action on it does not have any effect on the latch.

12 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PAIENIEUHBI I 51914 SHEET 10F 6 FIG/lb FIGIQ PATENTED BUT I 51974 SHEET 2 OF 6 FIG-2b O 4 m m PAIENIEDUCI 1 5mm SHEEI 3 BF 6 FIGBQ PATENTED 1 51974 3, 842.380

PAIENIED 1 51974 3. 842 3 8O sum 5 or a FIG. 6

321 FIG. 7 I LW/l COMBINED CUT-OUT SWITCH AND CIRCUIT BREAKER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention concerns an electrical cut-out device and more particularly the combining of a cutout switch withone or several circuit-breakers having removable fuses connected up in series with the said cut-out switch.

2. Description of the Prior Art Such a combination generally forms, in a known way, an assembly in which the cut-out switch ensures protection against overloads and short circuits up to a certain level, protection beyond that level and more particularly beyond the cut-out power of the cut-out switch alone being ensured by the fuse-type circuit-breakers.

In such a combination, it is a known practice to organise a co-operation between the cut-out switch and the circuit-breakers so that the circuit-breakers will not operate until a current level lower than but as near as possible to the cut-out power of the cut-out switch alone, whereas beyond that current, the circuitbreakers operate with sufficient speed to limit the peak value and the cut-out time of the short-circuit current to values such that the cut-out switch does not undergo any damage even if it is incapable of cutting alone that short-circuit current.

It is known that in such combinations, the limiting of the current obtained when the circuit-breakers operate is generally insufficient for avoiding the operation of the cut-out switch releasing system; moreover, in the case of a short-circuit at a high level, there is a simultaneous operation of the circuit-breakers and releasing of the cut-out switch.

Nevertheless, in the absence of particular arrangements, the user is not warned of the operation of the circuit-breakers and he may then trip the cut-out switch again without taking care. The same situation arises, moreover, when one of the circuit-breakers has been removed without having been re-installed.

It is to overcome these disadvantages that, in a known way, the use of fuse-type circuit-breakers provided with plungers and combined with an auxiliary mechanism affecting the automatic release mechanism of the cut-out switch when one of the circuit-breakers has operated, or else, even, when one of the circuitbreakers has not been installed, has been provided for. lt then effectively becomes impossible to trip the cutout switch again as long as the circuit-breakers have not been re-installed. Nevertheless, known arrangements are expensive to manufacture and, in any case, difficult to apply when the release mechanism of the cut-out switch has not originally been provided for that purpose.

The object of the present invention is to overcome the various disadvantages of existing solutions, by means of arrangements which are simple, inasmuch as concerns both the producing and the use thereof, which are distinguished by a particularly economical bringing of them into operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION For that purpose, an auxiliary mechanism, at least one of whose parts, due to its relative position, with respect to the housing containing the said device, ensures the apparent indicating of the state of the circuitbreaker whose fuse may be in operating condition, have operated, that is, be melted or else be missing, having been removed after melting and not re-installed, is combined with the circuit-breaker. Nevertheless, that indicator may remain un-noticed by the unaccustomed user; hence, the originality of the present invention consists in combining the auxiliary mechanism with the cut-out switch manipulating element liable to assume different positions corresponding respectively to the possible states of the cut-out switch: closed. released by automatic operation, tripped again and open, that is, released by hand. The interdependence between the auxiliary mechanism of the circuit-breaker and the cut-out switch manipulating element is organised so that when at least one fuse has melted or is missing, the said cut-out switch manipulating element remains blocked in the open position when it has been brought there by automatic release and/or by voluntary manipulation. The blocking of the said element in that position confirms the defect which has occurred at the level of the fuses and which would have remained unnoticed by the user.

The essential feature of the invention resides in the fact that the auxiliary mechanism comprising two main parts, the one forming a latch, whose position is dependent on the state of the circuit-breaker, ensures the locking of the other acting as a repeater of the position of the manipulation element of the said cut-out switch, when the said element has been brought to a position corresponding to the opening, whatever the original position may be.

According to one embodiment, the part acting as a latch is a bar whose end is flush with the level of the housing of the device in normal operation, whereas it is thrown forward and projects beyond the housing when an incident concerning the circuit-breaker occurs.

Now, an operator may, by accident, press the end of the bar and push it in sufficiently to cancel the locking of the cut-out switch and to trip the latter again by af fecting its manipulation element, then released, whereas the defect at the level of the circuit-breakers has not yet been remedied.

ln another embodiment, the aim is to produce an extra safety means by overcoming the disadvantage mentioned and the risks which it entails, as much for the device as for the equipment for which it provides protection. For that purpose, it is necessary, by dissociating the indicating function from the locking function, to organise the indicating means in such a way that it does not hinder in any way the operation of the auxiliary locking mechanism.

That extra safety means is essentially obtained by using, as a latch, a lever with which is connected an indicating element, and the flexible connection set up between them is determined so that any action on the said element does not have any effect on the said latch.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more clearly apparent from the description of two embodiments having no limiting character and referring to the drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 2a is a front view corresponding to FIG. 1a of the device in the preceding figures after the releasing of the cut-out switch and operation of the fuse;

FIG. 2b is a side view of the device in the condition of FIG. 2a.

FIG. 3a is a further front view of the device in FIGS. 2a and 2b, in which the cut-out switch manipulation element is blocked in the open position;

FIG. 3b is a sub view thereof FIG. 4 is a front view of a device having four polarelements;

FIG. 5 is, in accordance with a second embodiment, a partly cut away side view of the device of FIG. 4 provided with the locking and indicating elements according to the invention, in operating condition with the cut-out switch in the released" position.

FIG. 6 is a side view portion of FIG. 5, partially cut away showing the position of the auxiliary mechanism after the operation of the corresponding circuitbreaker.

FIG. 7 is a similar sub view to that of FIG. 6 which shows the position of the auxiliary mechanism after removal of the defective circuit-breaker in FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIGS. Ia and lb, the cut-out switch 1 is arranged above the housing 2 containing the fuse-type circuitbreaker 3. The cut-out switch 1 is closed and its manipulating element 4 represents, by its position, the closed state of the cut-out switch. The circuit-breaker 3 in which the end of the plunger 5 is seen, is connected up in series with the cut-out switch 1. The current coming from the cut-out switch 1 is brought by the flexible conductive part 6 to the ring 7 of the circuit-breaker 3 and leaves therefrom by the ring 8 to end up at the output terminal 9 through the flexible contact 10. The removable circuit-breaker 3 is held in position at its upper part by the pressure exerted on the ring 7 between the insulating stud 11 and the contact 6; whereas at the bottom, the pressure on the ring 8 exerted by the contact is maintained by means of the device 12 whose retracting enables removal by the back of the circuit-breaker 3 to effect the replacing thereof. Stops, not shown, prevent, moreover, any upward sliding of the circuit-breaker 3 when the latter is installed. The bar 13 bears, with its side 14, under the effect of the spring 15, on the ring 7 of the circuit-breaker 3 which then acts as a stop for it. The end 16 of the bar 13 is flush, through the window 17, with the front of the housing 2, after having crossed the'guiding part 18 and the loop 19 of the part 20 acting as a repeater of the position of the element 4 to which it is fixed by its upper end 21 entering the said element. The interdependence of states of the cut-out switch 1 and of the circuitbreaker 3 is ensured by means of the repeater 20 and of the bar 13 whose end 16 is in the vicinity of the loop 19 of the repeater 20.

In FIGS. 2a and 2b, the cut-out switch has been automatically released and the element 4 in the released position has caused a slight lowering of the repeater 20;

whereas the circuit-breaker 3 has operated and its plunger has pushed the bar 13, enabling its side 14 to free itself from the ring 7 and, under the action of the spring 15, the end 16 of the bar 13, on leaving the front panel, ensures the visual indicating of the operation of the circuit-breaker. On the other hand, the output of the end 16 of the bar 13 is limited by the stop 22 of the latter bearing against the upper portions of the loop 19 of the repeater 20.

It will be noted that the bar 13 moves the same distance as previously by removal of a circuit-breaker 3 in operating condition, for in that case, the ring 7 of the circuit-breaker 3 and acting as a stop for the side 14 not being installed. the bar 13 is pushed towards the right.

In FIGS. 3a and 3b, the manipulating element 4 has been pushed into the open position for the cocking of the cut-out switch, from the automatic release position of FIGS. 2a and 2b. In the same phase, the repeater has moved downwards, whereas the upper portions of the loop 19 have become free from the stop 22 of the bar 13 which has again moved towards the right and the portions 23 of the latter, covering the upper portions of the loop 19, ensure the blocking of the repeater 20.

Referring to FIG. 4, the device comprises four polar elements according to the invention, whose individual manipulating elements are made fast with one another by means of the handle 24 for manipulating the polyphase cut-out switch; whereas the internal release mechanisms are made fast with one another so that the automatic releasing of a phase causes the releasing of all the others. It will be noted that the handle 24 is in a position corresponding to the automatic releasing of the cut-out switch, whereas observing the indicating bars shows that the circuit-breaker of the second polar element from the left is to be changed, the end 16 of the corresponding bar being out.

In FIG. 5, the cut-out switch 1 is arranged below the set of circuit-breakers 3 and connected with the device 25 according to the invention which has a locking function independent from the indicating function, cooperating with the repeater strip 26 for repeating the position of the manipulating element or handle 4 of the cut-out switch 1.

The device is covered by a housing 27 co-operating with a fixing stand 37. In the window 28 of the housing 27, the handle 4 moves between the two end positions, the one being the low position, marked with an arrow 29, corresponding to the open state of the cut-out switch 1, as shown in FIG. 5 and the other being the high position, marked with an arrow 30 for which the cut-out switch is tripped. The current of the distribution system reaches the cut-out switch through the input contact part 32 and leaves the device through the output contact part 31 towards the load device, after having crossed through the cut-out switch 1 when it has been released, the circuit-breaker 3 connected up in series with it by the conductor 33 extended by the collar 34, in contact with the ring 7 of the circuit-breaker 3 whose other ring 8 is in contact with the collar 35 connected up by the flexible conductor 36 to the said input contact 32.

The locking and indicating device comprises a lever 38 installed so as to oscillate on a shaft 39. An indicating stud 40 installed in a floating configuration in a port 41 of the said lever 38 bears on a flexible strip 42 under whose effect the stud 40, on the one hand, bears against the said lever; on the other hand, its end, in the absence of defects on the circuit-breakers 3, comes flush with the level of an opening 43 formed in the housing 27. In the absence of any defects on the circuit-breaker 3, the plunger 5 is out of contact with the lever 38, which bears a contact 44 by means of which it presses against the said circuit-breaker 3 under the effect of the antagonistic spring 45 bearing against the projecting part 46 on the bottom of the housing 27. Moreover, this brings the shaft 39 to the bottom of its recess 47 in which it is installed in a floating configuration and makes the end of the lever 38, in the vicinity of its contact 44, come into contact with the portion 48 in relief of the inside of the housing 27. The lever 38 is provided with an enlargement 49 at its other end. The backward position of the enlargement 49 in relation to the end 50 of the repeater strip 26, when the circuit-breakers 3 are in operating condition, allows the closing of the cut-out switch 1 by moving its handle 4 from the low position 29 to the high position 30.

In FIG. 6, the plunger 5, after the operation of the circuit-breaker 3, pushes the lever 38 whose rotation on the point 48 of the housing 27 causes the following three effects: firstly, a movement of its shaft 39 lifting it off the bottom of its recess 47, then the outward withdrawal of the stud 40 through the opening 43 of the said housing 27, ensuring, by its projecting position, the indicating of the defect; lastly, the bringing of the enlargement 49 opposite the end 50 of the repeater strip 26 thus ensuring the locking of the cut-out switch 1 in the open state.

The pressing on the stud 40, according to the invention, enables it to be driven in down to the level of the housing 27 by deformation of the strip 42 without making the lever 38 move, that is, keeping the enlargement 49 in the position for the locking of the cut-out switch In FIG. 7, the withdrawal of the circuit-breaker 3 causes, under the action of the antagonistic spring 45, the movement ofthe shaft 39 at the bottom of its recess 47 and the rotating of the lever 38 on the shaft 39, this causing. on the one hand. the lifting of the end of the said lever 38 off its contact at 48 with the housing 27, on the other hand, the keeping of the enlargement 49 opposite the end 50 of the repeater strip 26 and consequently, the keeping of the stud 40 subjected to the action of the spring 42 in a projecting position.

In this latter case, again, the pressing on the indicating stud 40 produces no effect on the locking of the cut-out switch in the open position and the user is absolutely obliged to re-install the missing circuit-breaker in order to be able to close the cut-out switch again. Moreover, the fact of having arranged the locking lever so as to oscillate on a shaft installed in a floating configuration and flexibly held in its recess, provides the extra advantage of being able to effect automatically the recocking" of the locking device by the re-installing of a new fuse. That device passes automatically from its position in FIG. 7 to that in FIG. 5 by the re-installing of the circuit-breaker 3.

Needless to say, the description given has no exhaustive character and the protection applied for in the present invention extends to the branch provided for by the general definition which has been given thereof and comprises all the means equivalent to those described and within the understanding of the man in the art.

More particularly, a description has been given of an auxiliary mechanism particularly adapted for being combined with a single-pole cut-out switch or even with a multi-pole cut-out switch formed by the assembling of single-pole cut-out switches having manipulating elements of the flip-flop type. Needless to say, it would not be going beyond the scope of the invention to use any equivalent locking mechanism suitably adapted for being connected with single or multi-pole cut-out switches having manipulating elements of another type, for example, of the press-button type or having a rotating handle.

Likewise, a description is given of a device in which cylindrical circuit-breakers whose re-installing is effected from the back. But it is self-evident that it would also be possible to use both circuit-breakers of the tube and knife-blade type and to proceed with the reinstalling from the front.

We claim:

1. In a combination cut-out switch and circuitbreaker including a manipulation element having removable plunger-type fuses respectively connected up in series, each with a pole of a disjunctor and cooperating with an auxiliary mechanism, the improvement wherein said mechanism comprises two main parts, one forming a latch, the other a repeater, said latch having a position dependent on the state of the circuit-breaker and which ensures the locking of the position of the manipulation element of the said cut-out switch, when the said element has been brought to a position corresponding to an opening, whatever the original position may be.

2. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 1, wherein the latch is an elongated part one of whose ends co-operates with the repeater and said latch includes other portions used for detecting three possible states of the circuit breaker which may be, in operating condition, have operated, or missing.

3. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 1 wherein: the latch is a bar 13 whose detecting end is provided with a protuberance 14 connected with a flexible element 15 and operatively arranged to co-operate with the circuit-breaker 4. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 1, wherein the latch is a lever 38 provided, at its end co-operating with the repeater 26 with an enlargement 49 and wherein it comprises; moreover, a contact 44 operatively associated with the circuit-breaker 3 and movable into contact with a fixed stop 48.

5. The combined cutout switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 4, wherein: the lever 38 is mounted to oscillate on a shaft 39 arranged in a floating configuration in a recess 47 under bias of a flexible means 45.

6. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 1, wherein: the auxiliary mechanism comprises at least one part ensuring, by its position, the visible indicating 0f the state of the circuit-breaker 3.

7. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 1 wherein: the latch constitutes a visual indicator of the condition of the circuit-breaker.

8. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 6 wherein: the lever 38 is distinct from the indicator part and said lever and said indicator 11. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 2, wherein the latch is a lever 38 provided, at its end co-operating with the repeater 26 with an enlargement 49 and wherein it comprises; moreover, a contact 44 operatively associated with the circuit-breaker 3 and movable into contact with a fixed stop 48.

12. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker of claim 6 wherein said indicator comprises said latch. 

1. In a combination cut-out switch and circuit-breaker including a manipulation element having removable plunger-type fuses respectively connected up in series, each with a pole of a disjunctor and co-operating with an auxiliary mechanism, the improvement wherein said mechanism comprises two main parts, one forming a latch, the other a repeater, said latch having a position dependent on the state of the circuit-breaker and which ensures the locking of the position of the manipulation element of the said cut-out switch, when the said element has been brought to a position corresponding to an opening, whatever the original position may be.
 2. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 1, wherein the latch is an elongated part one of whose ends co-operates with the repeater and said latch includes other portions used for detecting three possible states of the circuit breaker which may be, in operating condition, have operated, or missing.
 3. The combined cut-out switch and cIrcuit-breaker according to claim 1 wherein: the latch is a bar 13 whose detecting end is provided with a protuberance 14 connected with a flexible element 15 and operatively arranged to co-operate with the circuit-breaker
 3. 4. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 1, wherein the latch is a lever 38 provided, at its end co-operating with the repeater 26 with an enlargement 49 and wherein it comprises; moreover, a contact 44 operatively associated with the circuit-breaker 3 and movable into contact with a fixed stop
 48. 5. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 4, wherein: the lever 38 is mounted to oscillate on a shaft 39 arranged in a floating configuration in a recess 47 under bias of a flexible means
 45. 6. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 1, wherein: the auxiliary mechanism comprises at least one part ensuring, by its position, the visible indicating of the state of the circuit-breaker
 3. 7. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 1 wherein: the latch constitutes a visual indicator of the condition of the circuit-breaker.
 8. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 6 wherein: the lever 38 is distinct from the indicator part and said lever and said indicator part are linked so that any action on said indicator means is without effect on said lever
 38. 9. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 8, wherein: the indicating means is a stud 40 arranged in a floating configuration on the lever 38 and linked to the latter by a flexible element
 42. 10. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 2 wherein: the latch is a bar 13 whose detecting end is provided with a protuberance 14 connected with a flexible element 15 and operatively arranged to co-operate with the circuit-breaker
 3. 11. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker according to claim 2, wherein the latch is a lever 38 provided, at its end co-operating with the repeater 26 with an enlargement 49 and wherein it comprises; moreover, a contact 44 operatively associated with the circuit-breaker 3 and movable into contact with a fixed stop
 48. 12. The combined cut-out switch and circuit-breaker of claim 6 wherein said indicator comprises said latch. 